Track-brace for railroads.



P. E. {)UNNINGHAM.

TRACK BRACE FOR RAILROADS- APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. I916.

1,207,140. Patented Dec. 5,1916.

. 1 P v r 1 i t STATES PTET FFICE.

TBACK-IBRACE FOR RAILROADS.

Application filed June 29, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, PERCY E. CUNNING- HAM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Waverly, in the county of Humphreys, State ofTennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrack-Braces for Railroads; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

This invention relates to track braces for railroads and has for itsobject to provide a brace designed to hold the rails of the railroadtrack parallel so that they will not spread under heavy traflic or fromother causes.

Another object is to provide a brace which may be applied to a track atany point, without removing the rails from the ties.

Another object is to provide a brace which will perform its functionindependently of the ties or any other portions of the track alreadyconstructed.

Another object is to provide a brace which may be quickly and easilyapplied without the necessity for skilled labor.

Another object is to provide a device including pivoted members, butwhich will also include an arrangement, independent of the pivots whichwill receive the stress incident to the spreading tendency of the rails,so as to prevent breaking or distortion of the pivot, so that the bracemay be removed from the track if desired without difficulty.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a section through a railroad track showingthe pres ent device engaged therewith; Fig. 2 is a similar sectionshowing the present device as it is being engaged with the rails, andFig. 3 is a perspective view of the device removed from the track. withthe parts in the position shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings the present invention comprises two bars 5and 6. These bars are disposed in overlapped relation at their innerends, and a pivot pin 7 is engaged therethrough adjacent to the innerextremity of the bar 5. Thus, if the pivot point is raised above theouter ends of the bars, the inner end of the bar 6 will be elevatedabove the bar 5. A transverse recess 8 is formed in the upper edge ofthe bar 5 outwardly of the pivot pin 7 but in Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Serial No. 106,660.

the portion of the bar 5 which is overlapped by the bar 6. A laterallyextending plate 9 is firmly secured to the upper edge portion of the bar6 in position to lie within the recess 8 and to engage the end wallsthereof when the bars are in the same plane. The outer ends of the twobars are provided with transverse recesses 5 and 6 in their upper facesto receive the base flanges of rails indicated at 10 in the drawings.The inner walls of these recesses 5 and 6 are out under asindicated at11 to form lips 12 which engage over the base flanges of the rails whenthe device is in position. At the opposite side of the recess 8 from thepivot pin 7 the overlapping portions of the bars 5 and 6 are providedwith openings 13 which register when the device is in position upon atrack for the reception of a fastening device 14.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the brace is applied to thetrack by moving the two bars upon the pivot pin to elevate the inner endof the bar 6. The outer ends of the bars are then disposed between therails and the lips 12 are engaged over the inner edges of the baseflanges 10. The inner ends of the bars are then depressed, which movesthe outer ends of the bars so that the base flanges of the rails arereceived in the recesses 5 and 6. At the same time the plate 9 entersthe recess 8 to prevent movement of the bars below the horizontal, andthe fastening device 14 is then engaged in the openings 13. This bringsthe inner walls of the recesses 5 and 6' against the inner edges of thebase flanges and disposes the outer walls of these recesses against theouter edges of the base flanges so that the rails are held in parallelrelation.

It will be noted that, by reason of the arrangement of the plate 9, itis this plate which receives the greatest stress incident to thetendency of the rails to spread. Since the edge of the plate which liesin the direction of the pivot pin 7 engages the corresponding wall ofthe recess 8, there is formed an interlock between the two bars and thusbreaking or bending of the pivot pin is prevented.

What I claim is A railroad track brace comprising two arms overlapped attheir inner ends and having rail receiving recesses in their outer ends,a pivot pin engaged through the over- In testimony whereof, I affix mysignature, 1n the presence of tWo wltnesses.

PERCY E. CUNNINGHAM.

lVitnesses H. C. CARTER, ROY CARTER.

lapped portions of the tWo arms adjacent to the inner end of one of thearms, and a laterally extending plate carried by the other arm betweenthe pivot pin and the inner end of said arm, the first mentioned armhaving a recess for the reception of the laterally extending plate.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

